


Five Times The Flash's Gender Mattered and the One Time It Didn't

by NanashiJones



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, F/F, Gender Issues, Gender or Sex Swap, Lesbian Character, Rule 63, cisco is in adorkable with barry, girl!Barry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-11
Updated: 2015-05-11
Packaged: 2018-03-30 02:38:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3919744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NanashiJones/pseuds/NanashiJones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Exactly what it says on the tin- in a universe where Barry Allen is Betsy Allen, and everything else is more or less the same. More or less.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five Times The Flash's Gender Mattered and the One Time It Didn't

Betsy woke feeling jittery. She also woke in a strange room, and wearing _only_ a pair of pants.

“Why am I topless?!” she shrieked, as a pinched-face brunette tried to grab her. A Latino looking guy grinned in the doorway.

Evading the brunette, she hopped off the bed. Table. _What?_

“You need to calm down,” the brunette said, still pursuing Betsy.

“Uh… yeah, calm,” the Latino guy said, stepping lightly into the room.

Which was starting to look slightly familiar. Wait. Wow, was she- was she in STAR Labs?

Wait.

“Is that… is that me?” Betsy said, her attention caught by the image on a monitor. She stared. Specifically at her new washboard stomach.

“Ms. Allen, you were struck by lightning,” the brunette said, as if this explained everything.

“Lightning gave me abs?” Betsy said, staring at her stomach, too amazed to be concerned by her lack of bra or shirt. She’d been stick thin and slouchy her whole life. Now she had… abs.

“Well, abs and a pretty sweet a-”

“Cisco,” a new, calm voice said. “I believe you can go fetch Ms. Allen something with which to cover herself?”

Betsy turned, absently putting an arm over her chest. Sitting in a wheelchair in the doorway was-

“Doctor Harrison Wells?” she squeaked.

“I am. Welcome back to the land of the living Ms. Allen,” he said, rolling closer to her.

Betsy blushed and looked anywhere but at Dr. Wells. “I really hope this is that dream where I’m naked,” she muttered, smiling awkwardly.

“You’re only half-naked,” the brunette quipped, pointing at the sweatpants Betsy wore.

“Oh joy,” Betsy said, blush intensifying, as she lifted her other arm to join the one trying to cover her breasts.

 

* * *

 

“Cisco?” Betsy asked, staring up at The Suit, her face slightly pink, reflecting the red. “Did you do something new to it? Besides make it fit me?”

Cisco looked up from his computer. “What… do you mean?”

“It’s just- running in the suit? It’s, uh, there’s more uh…” She gestured vaguely to her chest. “Support. Going on. Somehow.”

Cisco blinked, eyebrows raising. “Oh. Oh! Yeah, dude. Check it out.” He waved her over and Betsy zipped around the console. “So, I’m no dummy. Girls got things bouncing around just like guys. Just, different. I figured you didn’t want _your_ girls chafing in there, banging around... et cetera,” he trailed off

“True,” Betsy said.

“So, when I worked over the suit, I reinforced the built-in bra.” He gestured to the diagram he had pulled up.

“You can do that?” she asked, peering at the screen.

“I’m an engineer,” Cisco said, defensively. “Building a bra takes math, just like anything else.”

“You have sisters, is what you’re saying,” Betsy teased.

“Bzzt. A brother. And I’m _not_ gay.”

Betsy laughed. “Yeah, I know that. Wow,” she said, looking back at the specs for the suit. “You think you could... whip up another two for me? Sports bras?”

Cisco grinned ear to ear. “You want ‘em in red, too?”

 

* * *

 

Cisco and Betsy grinned excitedly.

“How pumped are you?” Cisco asked.

“I dunno, how pumped are _you?_ ” Betsy asked, bouncing in her seat.

Caitlin shook her head, laughing. “You two, are ridiculous. It’s just a movie.”

“Just a movie? _Just_ a movie?” Cisco said, hand going to his chest in shock. “This is _Brain Crunchers 4_. The sequel everyone said couldn’t happen!”

“But it _did_ ,” Betsy added, grinning.

“Hey, keep it down?” the guy in front of them said.

“Heh, sorry,” Betsy said, leaning forward.

Cisco shook his head. “It’s just previews. Light chatter is fair game,” he said.

“C’mon Cisco, _polite_ ,” Betsy teased. “Or do you want Lord Nekron to nom you?”

Cisco hid behind his popcorn. “Not… Lord Nekron!”

“Jesus! Will you keep it down!” the guy said, turning to face them.

“Sorry, sorry,” Betsy said. “We’re just excited.”

The guy rolled his eyes. “Sure you are,” he said, glaring at Betsy, then transferring it to Caitlin.

Betsy smiled her best smile. “We are! _Brain Crunchers 4_. Wooo!” She pumped a fist.

“Because you know _so_ much about zombies. Do you watch Walking Dead with your boyfriend, here? Think that makes you a fan?” the guy sneered.

Caitlin watched in abject fascination as both Betsy _and_ Cisco’s hackles rose in unison.

Cisco looked at Betsy. “Hey, listen man! Just because you can’t—” Betsy cut him off.

“No, no. I got this,” Betsy said, leaning forward. “Dude, no. You had us on being loud, and we’re sorry for that. But don’t bring fake geek girl crap into this. Just. Don’t.”

She pointed at him. “Also? You know _nothing_ about me. Get over yourself. If me liking _Brain Crunchers_ makes you enjoy it less, that’s all on you, man. The three of us came here to watch a movie and have a good time. You wanna keep raining on that parade, that makes you a jerk.”

“Psssht. Whatever,” the guy said, turning around. “Just shut up, and keep your _boyfriend_ quiet, bitch.”

Betsy took a breath, her eyes sparking.

The guy disappeared in a barely discernible blur of motion, and a split second later, Betsy sighed back into her seat. She looked thoroughly satisfied.

Cisco blinked, looking around. “Wait, you didn’t...? Did you just-”

“I did,” Betsy said. “But... I only ran him to that theater across town.”

Cisco grinned. “The one where we went for Rocky Horror? The one next to the _porn_ shop?”

Betsy smiled. “Anyone who wants to play the fake geek girl card can try handling running commentary from an audience full of people in lingerie and bondage gear. Besides. He can think about how he _might_ have ended up there while he walks half the length of the city, back to his car.”

“You are the champion of women everywhere, Betsy Allen,” Cisco said, raising his fist. Betsy bumped it with her own.

“Um… not that I mind… possibly unethical use of super powers, but why did you run that guy across town?” Caitlin asked, nervously fiddling with her drink.

“Because that guy was totally giving Betsy ‘fake geek girl’ crap,” Cisco said. “In this day and age! Hypnotoad take me now!” He slumped back into his seat, offering Betsy a skittle. She took it.

“Fake… what?” Caitlin asked.

“How have I not told you of the dark side of geekdom?” Cisco moaned. “Okay. Think about all the sexist crap you put up with while getting your doctorate. Only _now_ it’s focused on what you wanna do in your downtime, and what you’re allowed to like. _Especially_ if you’re cute.”

Caitlin, brows pinched in worry, looked to Betsy.

“Fake geek girl,” Betsy repeated. “It’s basically a term some jerk on the internet came up with for girls who, supposedly, pretend to be into geeky things for attention, or for their ‘boyfriends.’” She air-quoted boyfriends, hard.

“Which, _please_ ,” Betsy snorted, tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth. “If I wanted attention all I’d have to do is kiss the barista at Jitters.”

 

* * *

 

Joe strode into the lab after the day shift had cleared out. Betsy was puttering around, her expression distracted.

“Hey Betsy,” Joe said. “You wanted to see me?”

Betsy blinked, putting down the beaker of green liquid in her hand. “Yeah. Yeah, I just… I wanted you to know I saw Iris last night.”

Joe raised an eyebrow. “So…?”

“As ‘the Streak.’”

Joe sighed, running a hand over his head. “And in what world is that a bright idea?” he asked, tone sharp.

“It’s okay. I stayed in the shadows, she never got a good look at me.”

“And your voice Betsy?” Joe said, jabbing a finger at her.

“Oh that.” Betsy smirked. “No worries there. I’ve found if I vibrate my vocal chords really fast… _It distorts the sound, so she can’t identify it either._ ”

Joe snorted, then he cracked up. “Oh, God.”

“ _C’mon Joe, what?_ ” Betsy carried on, sounding like a robot on helium.

“Oh, God,” he breathed, trying to stop his giggles. “Okay. Yeah, so… you thought this through.”

“Yeah. I tried to put her off me, like you said,” Betsy said, leaning against the window ledge.

“Indeed, like I said,” Joe replied, wiping at an eye. “The farther she is from… the Streak, the safer she is, Betsy. You **know** that.”

“I do! And I want to keep her safe, Joe, _you_ know that,” Betsy said. “But…”

“But?” Joe said, arms crossed.

“It wasn’t easy. She’s really intent on me,” Betsy said, looking back at Joe. “I mean... on the Streak. I’m starting to think that the only way to get her to stop chasing the Streak is... to tell her the truth.”

Joe nodded as he leaned next to her. “So. You really want to tell her.”

“I tell her everything,” Betsy said, sighing.

“Mmm…” Joe said, tilting his head side to side. “Not… _everything._ ”

Betsy blinked. “Joe? What’re you… It’s Iris.”

“I know. I also know how you feel about her,” Joe said, looking ahead, face calm. Stony, almost.

"And you’re- I mean, you know about me and other gi…? I mean, of course you know about me-”

“You loving Iris. Yup. I know,” Joe said, his expression still too still for Betsy’s liking.

“And… you’re cool with it?” Betsy said, trying to simultaneously hide in her shirt and look at Joe.

“Am I cool with it? Hell no I’m not cool with it!” Joe snapped, glaring at her.

Betsy’s breathing hitched and tears sprang to her eyes. She wasn’t ready for this. Oh wow, she really wasn’t ready.

“Joe, I didn’t mean to- I mean…”

Joe rolled his eyes, huffing. “I know what you didn’t _mean,_ ” he said, pushing off the windowsill. “That doesn’t change how I’ve seen you look at my little girl!”

Betsy’s cheeks heated up. She idly wondered if her enhanced metabolism meant her cheeks actually were warmer than a regular human’s. They certainly felt like it.

“Joe, if you- if you had a problem with me being a lesbian-”

“What does you being a lesbian have to do with loving Iris?” Joe asked, whirling to face her.

Betsy blinked. “Ev...er...ything?” she said.

Joe squinted at Betsy, then his eyebrows shot up. He exhaled in a whoosh, rubbing a hand on his face.

“Betsy. I don’t have a problem with you being a girl who loves other girls,” Joe said from behind his hand.

“You don’t?” Betsy said, straightening a little.

“I have a problem with you being a girl who loves _my_ girl,” Joe said, his bad cop face in place.

Betsy looked left and right. She wondered if she could run to Coast City. Set up a new life there. She could commute to fight evil metahumans.

“You’re supposed to know better!” Joe barked, sitting on the edge of a table. His expression seemed caught somewhere between wanting to shake Betsy and wanting to laugh at her.

“I… am?” Betsy felt like she had lost the thread of the conversation they were having.

“Elizabeth Nora Allen, you are a grown-ass woman,” Joe said. “And you know how other grown-ass women think. Would _you_ be cool with someone hanging around you, hiding this from you, for so long?”

“I… um,” Betsy said, blinking. She hadn’t really dated much, before or after she got her powers. She’d really only kissed two or three girls, and that was long enough ago to be _very_ awkward territory. As far as she knew, no one had _ever_ felt for her like what she felt for Iris. Or at least, they hadn’t told her.

“I’d be... flattered?” Betsy tried.

Joe rolled his eyes. “ _You_ would be, sure. But Iris isn’t you. And by not hashing this out, you are putting yourself and Iris in an _ugly_ spot, do you understand?”

Betsy looked down, her toes curling.

Joe sighed, walking over to her. “Hey.”

Betsy looked up.

“Just because I think you’re being unreasonable right now, doesn’t mean I think the _idea_ is unreasonable,” Joe said. “Hell, I wish _half_ the guys Iris brought home in high school looked at her like you do. But you _cannot_ keep this bottled up forever. You know better. I know you know better. And that’s not fair to you, or to Iris.”

Betsy nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I see that,” she said, running a hand through her cropped hair. “So I’m a little- I just need to be clear. Me and other girls? You’re actually…?”

“One-hundred percent fine,” Joe said.

Betsy blushed. “And when I came out…”

“Totally not a surprise,” Joe replied, smiling easily. “I read _A Woman Like That_ and got ready for the announcement.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I knew you were gonna need support. It’s an ugly world out there.”

Betsy scuffed a foot. “Aw Joe…”

“Don’t ‘aw, Joe’ me,” Joe said, looking at her with mock stern. “I have watched you be in love with Iris ever since you were old enough to know what love is. And I have been waiting _years_ for you to tell her how you feel.” He shook his head. “Smart as you are, _fast_ as you are, that one thing has always made me a little disappointed in you, Betsy.”

Betsy sighed, her chest crumpling a little. “Sorry. Guess I was… _am_ too slow. And now? I don’t even know if she’s…” Betsy shrugged.

“Never say never,” Joe said, pulling on his coat. “I know my girls, but they can still surprise me. So. We good here?”

“Yeah,” Betsy said. “Yeah we are. Thanks for… thanks for talking to me, Joe. I really appreciate it.”

Joe shrugged, smiling. “Any time, kid. But you get with my little girl, you be _good_ to my little girl.”

Betsy nodded.

“That’s when I’ll give you the Speech.”

“You mean that wasn’t it?” Betsy said, swallowing audibly.

 

* * *

 

Hartley smirked, adjusting his jacket. “A super _heroine_ \- a woman. How… quaint,” he said, looking Flash up and down.

Flash rolled her eyes. “Yup, a woman,” she responded. “And one who's going to put you down, Hartley, so give it up.” She slammed her fist into her open palm for emphasis.

“Oh, I don’t doubt you’ll try,” Hartley said, tapping some buttons on his gauntlets. “Sadly, there goes my fantasy of being disciplined by a man in a leather suit,” he said wistfully, and apparently to no one. He jabbed a hand out, a blast of sonic energy ripping at Flash.

She dodged it easily, circling around in a blur to clock him in the skull.

 _Okay,_ she thought. _I **have** to tell Caitlin that one. T_ _his is the new watermark for **weird** comments I’ve heard from bad guys who weren't expecting me to be a girl._

 

* * *

 

 

_Maybe going public isn’t such a bad thing_ , Betsy thought as she zipped through the burning building, carrying out more people.

“How’re we doing?” she asked the firefighters, depositing her latest load.

“Looks clear,” the lead said. He handed off an oxygen tank to someone in need.

“Tiana? Tiana?!” a mother’s cry carried over the sounds of the people standing outside the apartment complex. Then, Betsy heard a scream; a little girl.

Flash sighed, smiling slightly at the firefighter. “Kids, right?” she said, and disappeared.

She actually had to slow down a bit on this trip- the floors were getting weak. After a quick search, she found the child hiding in a closet, coughing. Picking her up, Flash zoomed back outside to hand the child to her crying parents.

“Thank you, thank you so much, Flash,” the mother said, tears streaming down her face.

“You’re welcome,” Flash said, smiling more earnestly. The little girl was being looked over by a firefighter, and was receiving oxygen. She was doing the Big Eyes thing. Flash had noticed that happening when she slowed down to talk to kids, lately. She wasn’t sure how she felt about it, yet.

“Hey there,” she said, squatting down. She was on a roll today; why not try tackling it head on? “You know, you should stick close to your mom when things get scary.”

The little girl pulled the oxygen mask away from her mouth. “You’re really a superhero,” she said, her little voice raspy from the smoke. “You’re really real.”

Flash laughed. “Don’t you mean superheroine?”

The little girl shook her head. “You saved me. You look cool. Superhero,” she said, with all the wisdom of youth.

Flash smiled and stood back up. “Okay,” she nodded. “Superhero it is.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my forever editor, Tempest, for always getting my best work out of me. Still in lesbians and going strong, hon.
> 
> If anyone finds more girl!Barry, let me know, because I am clearly all about this.


End file.
